CO-OP BOOK REVIEW
Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being – by Andrew Weil, M.D.
We love books at the Co-op and will be bringing you monthly reviews on some of our favorites. This month’s paperback focuses on how to keep the mind and body healthy as we age.
Dr. Andrew Weil is a Harvard educated and lifelong educator of integrative medicine. He provides a unique approach to health care, which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. He is the founder and Director of the program in integrative medicine (PIM) at the College of Medicine, University of Arizona, of which he is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health as well as the Lovell-Jones Professor of Integrative Rheumatology. He has written many books on these subjects, too numerous to be included in this review and has appeared on TV, radio and print many times telling about his approach to the medicine of today.
The beginning part of the book covers the science and philosophy of healthy aging. It is a very detailed account of what happens to your body as you age. Anyone who is at this stage should find this familiar territory, however, this book can be for everyone.
Suffice it to say, this maven does not like those people that say that they can extend the human life span, since no methods have been found yet to accomplish this. You can Òlook youngerÓ by remaking yourself with various creams, lotions, lifts, etc., but in the end it is only the outside that is changed. Dr. Weil is concerned with the inside, i.e. how healthy, happy and peaceful you are with yourself and the world. Possibility you may hear more and more about anti-aging meds.
The bottom line is learning to accept the universality and inevitability of aging. Learn how to keep body and mind healthy as you move through lifeÕs successive stages.
Dr. Weil says he lives mostly on fish and vegetables, except for cheese and a very occasional egg. He calls himself pesco-lacto-vegetarian. With this in mind, he still talks about many foods that he does eat and what is the best quality of that food to eat. In this volume, he mentions many tests that you might consider. Tests for cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease are among the ones he particularly says to have done. Be sure, advises this expert, to keep your own medical record that includes information of tests, past illnesses, injuries, treatments, hospitalizations, current medication and family history. This record is very valuable when you see your health practioner.
Inflammation is the culprit in most illnesses. There are diets that Dr. Weil recommends that are Òanti-inflammatoryÓ diets. The Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet are both notable for the inclusion of fish (especially the Japanese one) and include the optimal Omega 3, Omega 6 ratio. There is also a lot of Òdo not eatÓ advice in this very good reference guide. One that most people do not realize is Òdo not eat margarine, regardless of what it is made from or what the manufacturers claim about itÓ. Use butter, olive oil, or natural butter substitutes that are made semisolid by the mechanical process of emulsification rather than chemical process of hydrogenationÓ.
At the end of this really marvelous book is the essence of what it is about, 12 ways to healthy aging:
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
- Use dietary supplements that support the body wisely.
- Use preventive medicine wisely
- Get regular physical exercise daily
- Get proper rest and sleep
- Learn ways to cope with stress
- Exercise your mind, too
- Maintain social connections
- Be flexible in mind and body. Learn to adapt.
- Discover the benefits of aging
- Do not deny aging and get spiritual awakening and growth
- Keep an ongoing record of the lessons you have learned and share them with people you care about.
You can find this book, and others like it, near the Customer Service Desk at the Co-op.
Happy, Healthy Aging!
Looking for additional great ways to keep the mind and body healthy? Check out our blog post: